How to Cook and Clean the Edible Parts of Dungeness Crab
Hailing from the waters off the Pacific Northwest, Dungeness crabs are the most commercial crab in the region. Although smaller than than the King crab, Dungeness crabs have a large shell with a lot of meat inside, which makes it a popular crab to use for both cooking and serving whole. When selecting Dungeness crab at the market to bring home and cook, look for crabs that are active and smell fresh and clean like the ocean. This ensures that you are taking home the healthiest, freshest crab. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Live Dungeness crabs (any amount)
- Tongs
- Steamer pot
- Dish towel
- Gloves
- Nutcracker
- Crab fork
Instructions
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Fill a pot with a steamer basket in it with water high enough to just reach the basket. Bring the water to a boil.
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2
Carefully place the live crabs into the steamer basket using long tongs and close the lid. Allow the crabs to cook for seven minutes per pound.
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3
Remove the crabs from the steamer basket with the tongs and plunge them into a ice bath to stop the cooking process and to cool them down so they can be handled.
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4
Take a cooled crab and pull the legs and claws off at the joints where the body and legs meet.
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5
Crack the crab legs placing the legs in between a nutcracker and pull the handles together to crush the shell.
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Crack open the crab claws by hitting the center of the claws with a mallet. Place the claws in a plastic bag when using a mallet to prevent a mess. Set the leg and claw meat aside or eat as you go.
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Flip the crab body over and remove the apron, which is the pointed section of the crabs belly near the mouth, as well as the mouthpieces.
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Crook your finger into the hole where the mouthpieces were and lift the crab shell to reveal the meat inside.
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9
Remove any crab viscera, which are the internal organs of the crab, that you see by rinsing the crab body under cool running water. Some like to set the yellowish entrails, which are from the liver, aside to eat later.
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10
Remove the grayish-pointy gills and the J-shaped pincers at the mouth of the crab body.
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Crack the body in half to eat. Use tiny crab forks, or simply your finger to pull the meat from the body, along with the crab legs and claws.
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Tips & Warnings
When you are cooking more than one crab, calculate cooking time by the average weight of the crabs, not the total weight. This prevents you from overcooking the crab meat, which will be rubbery and tough.
Cut the cooking time in half if you are planning on using the crab as a part of a recipe where it will continue to be cooked
Side dishes commonly served with crab include corn on the cob and roasted potatoes.
Avoid getting burned from the hot pot by using a dish towel or oven mitts to open the lid of the pot and open the pot away from your face to avoid the hot steam.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
